On Friday’s episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, host Bill Maher said the ongoing government shutdown is tied to Affordable Care Act subsidies that Democrats originally justified as temporary COVID-era measures but have since made permanent.

Maher’s comments came during a discussion with “The Fifth Column” podcast co-host Michael Moynihan, who explained that the dispute in Washington centers on federal subsidies expanded during the pandemic.

Moynihan noted that the extra funding, initially approved under emergency authority, has now been renewed and written into ongoing budget negotiations.

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“We’re talking about these subsidies, that were COVID-era subsidies that were renewed. And the entire shutdown is based on these subsidies,” Moynihan said.

Maher agreed, describing the policy extension as misleading.

“That is what the shutdown is based on. For people who don’t know, let me just say, during COVID, they upped the subsidies. And then, it is a bit of a bait-and-switch, I’ll give you, that’s true on that one,” Maher said.

He went on to argue that Democrats have not been transparent about the policy’s permanence.

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“You can’t say — it’s not quite kosher to say, we’re just doing this for the COVID emergency, and then when the emergency’s over, say, oh, no, it’s forever. At least be honest about it,” Maher added.

The discussion highlighted one of the key disputes behind the federal budget stalemate that has led to a prolonged shutdown.

Lawmakers remain divided over whether to continue the higher subsidy levels created under the 2021 American Rescue Plan.

Those subsidies expanded eligibility for federal assistance through the Affordable Care Act, reducing health insurance costs for millions of Americans during the pandemic.